


Latchkey Kids

by BrokenPoet12



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angry Killer Frost, Angst, Drama, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Harry is a captive audience, Hurt/Comfort, Killer Frost is an angry elf, Romance if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 00:56:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11498412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenPoet12/pseuds/BrokenPoet12
Summary: "I swear to God Harry, if I hear the phrase 'Let it go' come out of your mouth next I'll freeze it shut." She glares, but he can see the hint of humor in her expression.





	Latchkey Kids

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any random spelling errors. I wrote this over about twelve hours on the memo pad on my phone. Small screen and finicky spell check. 
> 
>  
> 
> Title taken from Silversun Pickups song of the same name.  
> 'You keep dancing around  
> What you want so bad  
> Please concentrate, hear me out  
> You might get caught but if you want  
> You can keep your fingers crossed' 
> 
> Killer Frost takes Harry captive to get some answers. Harry realizes he may find out some as well. 
> 
> Saw this on a prompt for Snowells Week thanks to another author. Thought I'd try.

 

XxxxxxxX

   Harry knew he was in trouble when he felt the ground fly out from underneath his feet. The sound of an explosion rocked the world around him and before he realized it, he was on his back, coughing in the sudden dust and smoke. With his ears ringing and his head pounding, he lay there trying to catch his breath and take stock of any injuries. When he couldn't feel anything immediately he gave a final cough and rolled onto his side, propped up by his elbow. 

   Blinking through the hazy air, he squinted, trying to see what had happened. The street he was on was littered with chunks of concrete and broken glass. He couldn't see any other people around. Wincing at the throbbing in his head, Harry coughed again and moved to sit up. He could feel glass cutting into the palms of his hands and he cursed under his breath. 

   As his ears cleared and the ringing in them quieted, Harry thought he could make out the sound of footsteps over the uneven ground somewhere behind him. Turning his head, he squinted, shadows obscuring and concealing whoever it was. Harry realized he must have been thrown into the alley he'd been passing when the blast went off. Sitting up fully, he took a breath and called out. 

   There was no answer but he could hear definite footsteps. Suddenly a chill ran across the back of his neck and he heard familiar laughter. Trying to stand, a wave of dizziness overtook him and he fell back hard, landing awkwardly on his elbow. 

   "Fuck!" 

   With blood rushing in his ears and his vision tunneling, Harry threw a glance behind him again as the footsteps halted. Unable to fight it, he felt himself on the verge of losing consciousness, just as he was able to make out the familiar shape of the person who had approached him. Her white hair and pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light. She had a feral smile on her face as she watched him. Trying and failing one more time to move, Harry felt himself fall back onto the ground. His head hit hard and he felt himself slipping away into darkness. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was the face of Killer Frost staring down at him. 

XxxxxxxxX

 

   The first thing Harry realized when he woke up was that he no longer felt hard ground beneath him. Inhaling sharply, his eyes flew open and he moved to sit up. Fighting the lingering dizziness, he cast his eyes around quickly, trying to figure out where he was. A second realization came when he tried to lift a hand to his head and found it bound in a makeshift restraint. 

   He was being held prisoner. 

   Squeezing his eyes shut tightly for a moment, he tried to take stock of what he remembered. He'd been away from the lab to run and errand to see Dr. Tina McGee. The two had come to an uneasy alliance in the wake of all the havoc Zoom had wrought and Barry's departure for the speed force. The two were working on an early warning system for the city. With Cisco's help, he was working on implementing some of the tech from his world here. His first order of business was an improved detection system for meta attacks. Realizing that he didn't have the staff or the equipment required at S.T.A.R. Labs, and unable to bring everything from Earth-2, he'd approached the Mercury Lab's founder and they'd formed an uneasy Alliance. Harry had been on his was back to S.T.A.R. Labs when the explosion had occurred. 

   With a start, Harry remembered seeing Killer Frost just before he'd passed out.

As if on cue, a door opened and the women in question appeared. She had a smug smile on her face when she saw him glaring at her from where he sat  across the room. Closing the door with a solid thud, she stepped fully into the room and regarded Harry silently. He watched her warily, all too aware that he was restrained and probably had a concussion. In short, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot he could do. She must have sensed his resignation because she laughed and walked further into the room. He tried to test the strength of his restraints, but they wouldn't move. 

   Killer Frost stopped a few feet away from his makeshift bed and regarded him with thinly veiled humor. When she didn't speak, Harry gave a frustrated huff and broke the silence. 

   "Snow, what the hell am I doing here? Or are we going to play twenty questions?" he ground out, managing to keep the fear he felt from his voice. He watched as Frost's eyes flashed briefly, her brows knitting in a sudden surge of annoyance. A look that would have been familiar if it had been on Caitlin Snow's face. But he was most certainly not dealing with Caitlin Snow at the moment. 

  "What's wrong Harry? Don't you like the place?" she asked, voice cold and dangerous. 

  "It's not exactly my style, but you seem to be going for something different these days," he snarked, eyes moving over her clothes with disapproval. 

  "A Wells with a sense of humor, who'd have known?" 

  "Clearly I'm a man of hidden talents. Now are you going to talk me to death or was there something you wanted?" Harry mentally yelled at himself for trying to bait her, but he was pissed off and more than a little scared. He flinched when she moved towards him, and again when he felt her cold hands against one of his wrists, but she surprised him by simply undoing one of his restraints and stepping back. When he said nothing, she pulled an old chair away from the wall and placed it several feet in front of him. As she sat, he chanced a look around the room, cursing internally again when he realized there was no easy way out. 

   So, she wanted something. He'd just have to wait and find out what that might be. 

    When it became obvious she wouldn't be forthcoming, Harry stubbornly lay back down and put his now free arm across his eyes. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go. He heard a faint huff of annoyance from his observer and his lips quirked slightly into a smile. She let out a low growl of irritation. 

    "You're pretty smug for someone tied to a bed, after almost being blown up." Her voice was nonchalant, but he could hear her irritation underneath. Blowing out a harsh breath, he shook his head under his arm, regretting it because his head still throbbed. 

  "It doesn't seem like I've got a whole lot of options here Snow, what's the point in getting angry?" 

   The chair scrapped hard against the floor as she stood, but she turned away from him and started to pace. He chanced a look from under his arm to watch her. She was wringing her hands, a look of irritation plain across her pale features. From where he lay on the makeshift bed it looked to him like she was arguing with herself. Something he'd imagined she'd been doing more and more frequently until Killer Frost had finally taken the reins. Frowning, Harry sighed again and sat up, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed and resting his hands on the edge. His elbow ached from where he'd fallen, and he could feel the cuts on his hands from the glass. Overall though, he didn't seem much worse off than that. A fact he was thankful for, even if it was something that could change any minute. 

    Harry watched Snow pace from one side of the room to the other and back again for several minutes. From what he could see, he was in some sort of run down building judging by the state of the walls and the random piles of debris and dirt. He strained to hear anything from beyond the walls but the only sounds to be heard were the footsteps of his apparent captor. Somehow he didn't think that tern fit though and he was more curious than afraid. He'd known Caitlin Snow long enough to know there was a reason she'd taken him, even if Killer Frost was driving. He'd just have to figure it out. 

   "Snow." She ignored him, not really hearing him. 

   Harry cleared his throat and repeated her name louder. She startled and turned to glare at him, her hands stilling. 

   "What?" 

   "Not to sound impolite, but why am I hear? People don't usually need to try blowing me up to get my attention, although to be honest you're not the first." 

   She seemed surprised at that and then she let out a short, genuine laugh. "Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to talk to an old friend?" 

   "Yes." He answered immediately, not believing it for a second. He watched her watching him, both of them at an impasse. For a brief moment he could see Caitlin Snow behind the icy front that she was putting up. He knew it might be his only chance, so he pressed on. "Persuade me." 

    Frost stared him down, unmoving, with an unreadable expression on her face. Finally she resumed her place on the chair before him and dropped her eyes. Still trying to affect an indifferent tone, she started talking. 

   "You sure make a lot of demands for a man tied up and stuck with a villain." Harry rolled his eyes. Anger flared on her face again but she didn't let it go any further than that. "I didn't blow you up either. That just happened to be your bad luck and poor timing. You walked right past a bank robbery in progress and just happened to be caught in the middle. You should be thanking me by the way." 

   Harry raised an eyebrow at that but didn't ask so she continued. "If I hadn't come along, minding my own business, when I did, you could have been in a lot worse shape. Head injury, cuts and bruises, maybe even internal trauma from the blast... You're lucky Harry."

     Deadpan, Harry managed to keep his eyes from rolling completely. " You have my undying thanks then. What were you doing there then? Beside minding your own business? "

    She let a smile cross her face, and it looked all wrong. Nothing like what he was used to seeing from her.. better half. "Well a girl's got to have a way to live. And those bank robbers didn't really need all that money. I was going to liberate some of their ill gotten gains. Payment, for not asking my permission."

    "Robbing from thieves to stay afloat. How very Robin Hood of you. And what was I? A consolation prize?" 

    "In a way. Because of you I came out empty handed."

 

    "I'm touched Snow, I didn't realize you cared." She genuinely laughs at that, an unpleasant and ugly sound. His stomach twists and he can't help but think it's at his expense. And he's not sure he wants to know why. 

   "You have no idea Harry."

   "What's that supposed to mean?" Harry's mind races because Snow is leaning in closer and the look on her face is anything but kind. 

    "You really have no idea, do you?" 

   "Maybe not, but I'm sure I'm going to love the answer." Harry says, sarcastic and defensive. Dread settles tightly in his stomach when he watches Frost straighten up and regard him cool again. Her lips curve into a smile again and she cock her head. 

    " Did she never tell you that she and Wells Volume One were a thing? That she used to sneak into his office after hours and let him fuck her across his desk?" 

   "That's... You're lying." 

   A laugh again, this time it's high and almost hysterical. "I wish I was. God. She loved him. Even when Ronnie was waiting for her at home, she kept crawling back to Wells. Told herself he loved her too. Can you imagine? Even after the accident, when her fiance was a radiation burn inside the pipeline, she kept going back to him. She thought she was fixing a broken man. I wonder what Eobard thought? Pretending not to need his legs while she's clamoring all over him. She begged him, did you know? Towards the end. Begged him not to push her away. Poor Caitlin was quite heartbroken. First her fiance dies, then her mentor and lover threw her away. "

   " Shut up. " Harry's voice is low and angry. His eyes are closed tightly, trying to block out what she's saying. But he can't. And pieces start snapping into place with painful clarity. Caitlin had been wary in the beginning when he'd arrived, they'd all been, but her more than any of the others. But she'd also been the first to accept him. Every now and then, he'd catch her watching him with an undefinable look on her face. Harry knew the history, knew what Wells had done to each and every member of team flash and he'd chalked it up to painful memories. And ignored it. But he knows That Frost is telling the truth because it all makes so much sense now. Still, hearing it from her mouth, but as a completely different person sets him on edge. And he feels sorry for her. 

    "Why are you telling me this Snow? Does it make you feel better?" 

    "Actually yeah, it kind of does," her tone is mock surprised, pretending like it's  
a sudden realization. "I'm telling you because right now she's screaming at me not to. And because Harry, so are you." 

   "I'm not..." 

   "I can see it on your face Harry. Did that bit of information actually hurt you?" Her voice is icy now, unwavering and accusatory. 

He doesn't answer right away because he honestly can't. He doesn't know the answer. His mind is reeling. The scope of loss that the women before him has suffered comes crashing violently into a clear picture of tragic events. He sees it in his mind. He can feel it. He knows he's not the Wells from this Earth but he can see it through the other man's eyes. The desire, the betrayal of trust. Using people for gain, their welfare be damned. He may not have seduced the woman before him, but he'd been damn near close enough in his single minded desire to see his own S.T.A.R. Labs succeed. He sought the very best minds, the best people, and used their talents relentlessly for his own gain. When people questioned him, he'd cast them aside and pursued his goals anyway. He'd pushed his own daughter away. 

    His own wife. And then she'd been gone. Work was all he'd had left. He might not be the Eobard Thawne version of Wells but the sick feeling in his stomach has him reeling because he wonders if he's any different at all. 

    He doesn't have an answer for that either. 

    Killer Frost is watching him intently, watching the play of emotions flying across his face and she can't help but feel regret. The sense of loss that is a constant companion is stronger now than it's been in a long time and even her icy anger can't stamp it down. Cold flares around her and she stands abruptly. Harry startles, his eyes still unfocused, seeing whatever it is that had him so absorbed. She can't keep looking at him so she turns her back on him. 

    After a long time, neither of them sure how much time passes, Harry clears his throat and speaks softly. 

    "For what it's worth Snow, I'm truly sorry. I'm not him, but I'm sorry for what he did to you. For all of this." 

   He focuses again, lifting his eyes in time to see her arms wrap around her middle and her shoulders shake. "Snow..." 

   "I don't know why you're apologizing to me Harry. I'm the end result, not the journey here." Her voice is distant and he knows she's going to shut down soon. Desperate, he yanks at his restraint trying to get her to face him. It works and he almost regrets it because the woman looking back at him is some terrible mix between the Caitlin Snow he knows and the Killer Frost persona that's trying to absorb everything good about her. In that moment he curses Eobard Thawne and Barry Allen with everything he has. One could not exist without the other and the havoc both speedsters have wrought has been catastrophic for the woman in front of him. 

    "To borrow from Ramon here, 'for real?'" he asks, sarcasm tempered by his desire to keep from provoking her. Her knuckles whiten where they rest against her elbows and he wonders if it's because he mentioned Cisco or because she thinks he's baiting her again. 

"Yeah Harry. I'm pretty sure this," her hands fly to her sides and cold air flows from them, "this is about as fucking real as it gets." He can't really argue that but she's misunderstood him and he struggles forward, pulling at his restraint again and looking down at it in frustration. He holds his free hand up and shakes his head, eyes closing briefly as he tries to figure out where to go. 

   "No Snow, I meant you really belive that you and she are two entirely separate entities? That you're somehow a.. an evolution rather than a byproduct?" 

   "Excuse me?" 

 

   "Caitlin Snow has suffered. She lost her mentor, she lost her husband, her career, her friends, and every time since then that she thought she'd found something, even a small chance for happiness it was taken from her. Hell, even the imposter Garrick betrayed and used her."

  " You're not telling me anything new Harry. " Her voice is raised, she's getting angry. Harry struggles on, trying to race her temper to the end. 

    " And then I show up too. A man with his face, his name. And I didn't even give her the time of day. Did I? Because I didn't know. But that still had to hurt. And you know what, Snow?" 

   "What?" 

   "Not once did she ever let on a fraction of what she was going through. Not one goddamned time did she let any of us know." 

    "BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T LOOKING!" She finally exploded and as she yelled the temperature in the room plummeted. Harry could see his breath in seconds. A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with with the temperature change. 

    He held his hand up, motioning for her to calm, for her to allow him to continue. Fury on her face, she clenched her fists and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. 

    "You are absolutely right. None of us were looking Snow. None of us saw you and what you were going through." 

   "What she was going th..." 

   "No Snow. You. You were going through it. Stop trying to hide. Not from me." He punctuated his words by stabbing a finger in the air at her. He locked eyes with her, fear and shame making his face burn. 

    "I am nothing like her." 

   "You're kidding me, right?" 

    "Caitlin Snow was weak. She was pathetic. Even Eobard didn't want her. She was..." 

   Shaking his head he interrupts her, unwilling to let her evade,  "You were alone Snow. You were always alone." Snow turns away abruptly, tearing her eyes from his and stomps across the room. She doesn't resume pacing though, instead she stands, staring at the wall in front of her, not really seeing it. Harry presses on for a final time, sure it's the last chance he's going to get. 

   "Caitlin Snow had everything good taken from her again and again. She kept it in, she kept you in. And it's eaten at you. All of the anger and sadness and loneliness. It's tried robbing all of the good from her and you're what's left." 

    Quietly from across the room she speaks and he can barely hear her. "What am I supposed to say to that?" 

     "I don't know." he sighs, starting to shiver in the cold and from the stress. 

    "How convenient for you." She's bitter, hurt. He scrambles for something to say, anything to keep her talking. 

    "Did you know that you saved my life once?" 

    "When Patty Spivot shot you, yes Harry I remember. You wouldn't believe what that did for her mental state. Watching you bleeding out on the floor of the Cortex. Watching the man with the face of her lover dying on the ground while she was helpless." She sneers, turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. 

   Harry shakes his head, even as the memories of that day run through his mind he's thinking of another. 

  " No. Killer Frost. Well, the version from my Earth. She held Zoom off so Jesse and I could escape with the others. Did you know that?" 

   "I fail to see how that's relevant."

    "She made a choice, Snow." He can see he isn't getting through to her and he roughly drags his free hand through his hair. "Even with the circumstances that pushed her to become Killer Frost, she still made a choice in the end." 

    "Interesting. Did you know she tried to kill me when Zoom was here? Because he kept her around as a plaything, waiting for me to go running back and when she realized it she tried to kill me, so she could escape. Did anyone tell that story to you? It's a lot less inspirational, isn't it? "

Harry's eyes snap to hers again and his mouth sets into a thin line. It's the first time she's referred to herself as a whole person. He wonders if he's getting through. 

    "Okay, that's not the greatest example but the fact of the matter is she still made a choice in the end. A choice to leave Zoom and maybe to throw off the darkness too. She made a choice to help me free Jesse and a choice to keep Zoom occupied so we could escape. "

     She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. The temperature in the room was gradually going back up again as she focused on him. 

    " Look Snow, I'm not saying it's the same thing. All I'm saying is that the choice is what makes the difference."

 

   "I swear to God Harry, if I hear the phrase 'Let it go' come out of your mouth next I'll freeze it shut." She glares, but he can see the hint of humor in her expression. 

   Chancing  a slight smile in return, he shrugs, "I wasn't going to say that. Cisco is the one who has a Frozen fixation." 

    She laughs, it surprises him but it's good to hear because it's genuine. It's Caitlin. He relaxes a little. 

   "Keeping everything locked in has done nothing for you. But neither has exploding." He motions at her and she looks down at herself, hands held out so she can see them. Scrutinizing her clothes, before meeting his eyes again. "You have to find a happy medium Snow. I just don't know where that is." 

   "Neither do I." 

   "Then what are you going to do about it?" she doesn't answer, instead she approaches Harry and halts before him. They watch each other, she's trying to figure something out and he's just waiting, for anything, any sign. He sees something change in her eyes and she moves again. Bending she releases his other restraint and nudges him over without looking up at him again. He scoots down towards the end of the bed and tenses until he realizes she's sitting down next to him.

"Im tired of feeling like I'm being ripped in half Harry." Snow's voice is strained, worn out. Hesitating briefly, Harry raises an arm and slowly moves it to settle over her shoulders. He can feel her body tense beneath his touch and he waits. Finally, she relaxes and he pulls her against him gently. Her head comes to rest against his chest and he feels he exhale long and slow. 

   "I can't tell you what to do. No one can. As much as I'd like to tell you to be the old Caitlin, that's not the right answer here any more." 

   "Then what am I supposed to do." 

  "Make a choice. But one you can live with. The both of you." He shrugs slightly and she leans further into him. He turns then, bringing his other arm up to fully wrap around her. She relents and he feels her arms slide up around his back. She inhales deeply against him, her chest rising and falling in a quick motion. Without hesitating, Harry presses a kiss to her forehead.

    "I'm tired of being treated like what's happening to me is a malfunction that can be corrected." 

   "I think maybe that even though we couldn't see everything you were going  through, we could see what was happening, even though it was too late. Wanting the old you back wasnt meant to be a snub. It was meant to be a comfort. It was just too little too late. "

  " I guess this is the part where I declare my intentions to go an 'find myself'. "

  " You've already found yourself Snow. Now you've got to sort out what your choice of roads are from here. " She pulls back slowly, withdrawing from Harry's warmth and avoiding his eyes. 

  " Sorry I kind of kidnapped you. "

  " Well, you did save me from an explosion, so I think it evens out. Can I ask something though? "

   When she doesn't immediately respond, he leans over and bumps her with his shoulder. Her hair had dropped forward to hide her face and he lifted a hand to tuck it back behind her ear. He watches her inhale again and suddenly he's looking at a pair of dark brown eyes. 

   "Just one." She smirks at him, humor singing through those eyes. 

   "Why me?" He can tell she wants to play dumb, and sees the moment she realizes that won't work. She bites her lip for a moment and looks away again. Taking a chance, Harry reaches down and covers her hand with his, squeezing it gently. Her skin is cool to the touch, but not unbearable.

    "That answer should be rather obvious considering how this conversation started Harry. I thought you were a genius." Her voice comes across flat and he sees her physically retreat into herself some. 

   "Snow, no.." 

  "I don't need your pity." She moves to turn around away and he knows he has to act quickly. Harry leans with her as she moves to stand up, effectively cutting her off. He lifts a hand to her chin and forces her to look back at him. Her eyes are guarded and fluctuating between white and brown. She's struggling and he knows what he's about to do will either work or backfire.

   'To hell with it' he thinks and leans forward his lips crashing gently against hers. 

   She's still beneath his kiss, unmoving, and for a long moment he's thinking about the fact that he might possibly be committing his last act as a living person. But then he feels her surprised exhale against his mouth and she's kissing him back. Gently, tentatively, they move against each other, letting the kiss linger until it draws to a slow conclusion. 

   Her eyes are closed when he pulls back slightly and there's color in her cheeks. Harry takes his thumb and runs it across her lower lip before pulling back and settling in his seat. She finally opens her eyes and finds him staring at her intently. 

   "I'm not any of them Caitlin. I'm just Harry Wells from Earth-2. I don't have all the answers but I want to help you. Whatever that means." 

   "Well that bank never did get robbed today." He laughs, for the first time in hours he laughs and he can't stop laughing. She joins him, pressing against his side. 

   "Crimes large and small are the exception Snow." 

   "I don't know if I need to be helped Harry." She says, sobering quickly. Harry takes her hands in his and runs his thumb across the back of it "I think I just need to learn... Or choose to help myself." 

   "You won't be alone." 

  "I think maybe I need to be though," he tugs her hand but she shakes her head. "I guess this really is the part where I say I need to go find myself." He smiles when she mock shudders and he's only too happy to pull her into a tight hug again. 

   "Why didn't you ever tell me about Wells?" He can feel her start when he asks but he presses forward, placing gentle kiss on her temple. 

   "Why would I?"

   "I couldn't ever figure out entirely why you treated me the way you did. I guess that explains it." 

  "I know you're not him Harry. Hell, he wasn't really Wells anyway. But... I loved him. I cheated on my fiance and he promised me everything. Then he took all of that away, even Ronnie. I started to feel like I deserved it. All of it. Losing everything was my penance. And then I started to get so angry about how unfair it was. And well, you know the rest. "

  " I'm sorry Caitlin."

  " Snow."

" What?"

" I like it when you call me Snow. I don't think I'm comfortable with Caitlin yet. "

"Fair enough."

  "You don't need to apologize for him either. You're not him. The differences between you two... There's no comparison." 

  "I don't know if I should be offended or flattered..." He felt her gentle chuckle against his chest and he pulled her with him to lean back against the wall behind the bed. 

   "Harry?" 

  "Snow?" 

   She's tentative all of the sudden, almost shy. "I realize you've probably got places to be, but could... Would you stay here a while longer. I'm .. Not ready yet." 

  "As long as you need."

 

Xxxxxx

THE END

As always, reviews and kudos are always appreciated. 

This fic tried going in various ways and I'm hoping I didn't let it get too far from something that made sense.


End file.
